Only eleven elements make up more than 99% of the human body. Hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur are the building block for proteins, fats, carbohydrates and nucleic acids. Calcium, potassium and magnesium are essential parts of all cells. Sodium and chlorine are present as salts in body fluids. The rest of the human body, less than 1%, consists of trace elements in amounts from several hundred parts per million to less than a few parts per billion.
Nutritional research has established that certain of the trace elements are essential to the existence of man. Up until 1957, only seven trace elements were recognized as essential: iron, iodine, copper, manganese, zinc, cobalt and molybdenum. Since that time seven additional elements have been added, namely, selenium, chromium, tin, vanadium, fluorine, silicon and nickel. It is possible that arsenic may also be an essential trace element.
These "trace" elements are believed to function in four ways. They help move common elements throughout the body, they maintain enzymatic activity, they assist the action of hormones and it is believed that they influence nucleic acid metabolism.
Indium is a soft white metal with a bluish tinge which is primarily found in the ores of zinc and lead and also found in oil shale. Indium and its compounds have heretofore been employed chiefly in industrial uses such as bearing alloys, dental alloys and semiconductor electronics. Indium is not an essential element since it is not required by the human body for proper functioning. In general, before a "trace" element can be considered essential, it must be present in either the biosphere, the newborn and/or excreted in milk, organs and tissues or in the ova. Indium is not found in any of these alternatives and therefore has been routinely bypassed for any meaningful investigation concerning the beneficial results from use in "trace" amounts in man.
The effect of certain indium compounds administered by subcutaneous or intravenous administration to lower animals has received some cursory investigation.
I have now found that indium and its absorbable compounds have a beneficial effect similar to that of the essential trace elements even though indium is not an essential element. The beneficial effect can be realized when the indium and its compounds are administered orally in "trace" amounts. In particular, indium has been found beneficial in the normalization and/or enhancement of the glandular feedback control of the thyroid gland.
It is accordingly the object of this invention to provide a new nutritional supplement which is particularly useful in the normalization and/or enhancement of the activity of the thyroid gland. This and other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description.